Coughlin reflects on 30 years of city service

Former longtime mayor and city council member Larry Coughlin reflected on his years of city service at a recent Rotary Club meeting. (Lisa Jager/News-Tribune)

Former mayor and city council member Larry Coughlin was part of many milestones and accomplishments during his 30 years of service to the City of Brush, but it was not without a few challenges and bumps along the way.Coughlin reflected on his longtime city service at a recent Brush Rotary Club meeting.Coughlin served on the Brush City Council for 10 years and 20 years as its mayor. He was first elected to the council in 1972, at which time councilors were elected for two-year terms. He said, “For the first few years I sat back and listened.”He was re-elected to the council in 1974 for a four-year term.At that time the council changed from a city superintendent to city administrator form of government, which Coughlin said “was quite a switch” from the council making all the day-to-day city decisions to an administrator doing all the work.Coughlin was elected to the council again in 1978. During that tenure in 1980 the City of Brush voted on and passed a sales tax measure.In 1982, Coughlin was elected to his first of what would be five consecutive terms as mayor. He was sworn in the same night as Bo Chapin was as the Brush city attorney. Coughlin said that year the City of Brush received several grants from both the Joslin-Needham and Jack Petteys funds and built the softball fields and tennis courts.

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One of Coughlin’s first challenges as mayor came in 1982 when BFI proposed a hazardous waste site six miles west of Last Chance, which caused concern in Brush about Beaver Creek becoming contaminated and that water finding its way to Brush. Representatives from Brush attended a hearing about the site, for which the Colorado Department of Health Planning Commission had recommended denial of a permit. Coughlin said the hearing started at 10 a.m. and ended the next day with Brush’s chance to testify coming at 2 a.m.The permit was initially denied, but eventually granted.Fortunately Coughlin said the site “never really had any problems, but we were concerned about it.” Coughlin said in the early 1980s Brush celebrated two centennials, including one in 1982 when the commemorating when the railroad arrived in town, for which “the city had a big celebration down by the depot.” In 1984, Brush celebrated the centennial of when the town was incorporated. The year 1984 was “an interesting year” according to Coughlin when an individual named Sonny Emerson proposed opening a youth correctional facility in Brush for boys age 15 to 21.When so many people expressed concern about the facility, the hearing about it had to be moved to the high school and was attended by more than 300 people with many concerned that youth at the facility would escape and cause harm. Coughlin said the State Correction Department was “against it from day one.” However, the facility was eventually built but closed when one of the youth committed suicide at the facility.In 1986 Coughlin said Governor Romer proposed building a super colliding super conductor that would have run just south of Brush to Last Chance and back to Brush. The project never came to fruition. During the early 1990s, Coughlin said work began on a deal on the then Carroll Hotel, which at the time had a Denver owner. Coughlin said, “The second and third floors of the building were nothing but a pigeon collection and part of the building was falling off.”The Brush Housing Authority recommended renovating the building into a community center and apartments, which was done. Coughlin said, “It was a very costly project, and when we started remodeling the whole east side of the building fell down.” However, Coughin said it was a worthwhile endeavor “and is still a good project today.”In reflecting on Brush’s past and presents, Coughlin said, “Brush needs to be proud to be an All America City. Brush is a community that works together.”

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